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Perusing through the internet a week ago, I came across an interesting article from Popular Mechanics titled “Debunking the Top 10 Energy Myths“.  Knowing the misunderstandings that frequently arise from nuclear power, it had to be on the list.  Here’s a link to the article:

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/debunking-myths-about-nuclear-fuel-coal-wind-solar

The article is well written overall but tends to need clarification on some issues or is missing a caveat or two. My main concern was the statement:

“During the first six decades of the nuclear age, however, fewer than 100 people have died as a result of nuclear power plant accidents.”

There have been no public deaths in the United States directly attributable to commerical nuclear reactor operations.

The number they are referring to would be the deaths associated with the Chernobyl Accident, which wouldn’t be able to happen in the US due to overall design (graphite control rods, containment structure), inherent safety measures (can’t be turned off, redundancy), and physics (negative reactivity) of the plants. It’s like saying English and Russian are the same because they are both languages.

Even those in our government are aware of this, Senator Lamar Alexander had previously brought this fact up and was independently verified.

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2010/apr/22/lamar-alexander/facts-risks-nuclear-power-plants/

Nuclear safety is paramount to the industry and will continue to be under the auspices of the NRC (http://www.nrc.gov/) and INPO (http://www.inpo.info/) as well as many other organizations.

 The next wave of young nuclear professionals will continue to uphold these high standards, and through an open dialogue and public outreach, can dispel these and other myths to eliminate much of the lack of general knowledge that surrounds nuclear power.

For a more dramatic presentation of myths and facts, see the American Nuclear Societies’:

http://www.ans.org/pi/resources/myths/docs/myths.pdf

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[Note: Since starting this article, an Editors Note has been added to the Popular Mechanics site explaining the difference.]

[Additional Note (9-29-10): A revision/clarification was issued in this article to clarify the statement that "no deaths in the United States can be attributed to a commercial reactor."  The statement has been corrected to state: "There have been no public deaths in the United States directly attributable to commercial nuclear reactor operations."  Due to the nature of this fact, it is important that the specifics of this fact are clearly communicated.]

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Harnessing the Power of the Atom

Southern Company’s new nuclear units in Georgia will create 3,500 construction jobs and 800 high-paying permanent jobs

Despite the economic downturn, the population of the southeastern United States continues to increase. Moreover, that growth is expected to hasten as the economy rebounds. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 40 percent of the U.S. population will live in the South by 2030.  The state of Georgia alone is expected to grow by 4 million people over that same period, boosting the state’s electrical demand by nearly 30 percent.

As a result, a comprehensive approach to maintaining reliable and affordable supplies of electricity for this region’s economy is paramount.  Along with increased energy efficiency and conservation, and expanded use of renewables, natural gas and 21st century coal, it will be essential to build new nuclear power generation, the only proven large-scale generating technology that produces no greenhouse gas emissions.

Southern Company has a 30-year track record of safely, securely and efficiently operating nuclear plants in Georgia and Alabama. Three nuclear plants, each with two generating units ─ Plant Hatch near Baxley, Ga., Plant Farley near Columbia, Ala., and Plant Vogtle near Augusta, Ga. ─ currently serve customers across our region. 

New Vogtle nuclear units under construction

As it becames clear that new generation will be needed to meet growing power demand, Georgia Power, a Southern Company subsidiary, filed an application with the Georgia Public Service Commission in 2008 to move forward with two new nuclear units at its Plant Vogtle site.

Jointly owned by Georgia Power, Oglethorpe Power Corporation, the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia and Dalton Utilities, Plant Vogtle sits on a 3,100-acre site along the Savannah River.  The current Vogtle nuclear units 1 and 2 came online in 1987 and 1989, respectively.  Today, the construction of the nation’s first new nuclear units in three decades is well under way, with the Westinghouse AP1000 units 3 and 4 expected to be placed in service in 2016 and 2017, respectively. 

Up to $3.4 billion in federal loan guarantees

In a move designed to spur a renaissance in America’s nuclear industry, in February 2010 the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) offered Georgia Power a conditional commitment for loan guarantees for the construction of Vogtle Units 3 and 4.

Georgia Power and the DOE agreed to conditional nuclear loan guarantee terms. Final approval and issuance of the loan guarantees are subject to receipt of the combined construction and operating license, completion of final agreements and the receipt of any other required regulatory approvals.   Total guaranteed borrowings would not exceed 70 percent of the company-eligible projected costs, or approximately $3.4 billion.

The DOE loan guarantees are expected to save Georgia Power’s customers millions in financing costs annually over the expected life of any guaranteed borrowings, based on preliminary estimates.

Further, the economic impact of this move cannot be understated. The Vogtle 3 and 4 project represents up to $14 billion in capital investment in Georgia and will create 3,500 construction jobs and 800 high-paying permanent jobs.

When you add it all together, it’s clear that nuclear energy must be part of any realistic solution to lessen greenhouse gas emissions, to reduce our dependency on foreign sources for fuel and to limit the price volatility associated with fossil fuels. Southern Company is committed to a leadership role in advancing this initiative for our customers and this nation.

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Written by Buzz Miller, Executive Vice President of New Development for Southern Company

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Reactor parts start arriving at proposed Ga. plant

The first major parts have begun arriving in eastern Georgia for what could become the country’s first nuclear reactor in a generation, although uncertainty remains over when safety regulators might grant it final approval.

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Nuclear energy’s advantage in job creation continues to be its most attractive asset.  The new generation of nuclear professionals that is now entering the revitalized nuclear industry is the direct beneficiary of this fact, and organizations like the North American Young Generation in Nuclear (NA-YGN) showcase its success.

According to the Department of Energy, nuclear power creates 500 jobs per 1,000 MW of electricity generating capacity versus 220 jobs for coal power, 90 for wind energy, and 60 for natural gas generation.

Nuclear Energy Institute’s Marvin Fertel discusses in this in-depth op-ed that nuclear energy is the clean energy job engine that our country desperately needs.  In this op-ed, Fertel details the coming energy challenges that our country faces and offers nuclear energy’s proven benefits as part of the solution.

No clean energy industry has invested more in American workers than the nuclear energy industry.  From AREVA Inc and Northrop Grumman’s $360 million heavy components manufacturing facility in Newport News, VA, to Westinghouse’s Chattanooga, TN training facilities, nuclear power continues to offer promising opportunities for Americans to get to work.

Fertel does a great job with this op-ed detailing nuclear energy’s advantage in job creation.  Did I mention that it’s clean energy, too?

Nuclear Plants Boost Economy, Protect the Environment

A balanced portfolio is needed to meet 20 percent increase in electricity use by 2030

The energy industry is preparing to meet electricity needs in fast-growing population areas today and help spur economic expansion as America pulls out of the recession.  Even with conservation and efficiency efforts, a balanced portfolio of electricity production options is needed to meet an expected 20 percent increase in electricity use by 2030, including vital contributions from nuclear energy.

New electricity production sources will vary by region, and there will be a premium on sources that do not emit greenhouse gases. Altogether, the electric utility industry must invest some $2 trillion in electricity infrastructure by 2030—the largest expansion ever of the U.S. power grid.  This infrastructure development also is essential to meet the expected market penetration of plug-in hybrid vehicles, which will enhance our energy security by reducing our dependence on imported oil.

Energy could be one of the most significant economic drivers for the next two decades. The benefits of such an expansion are staggering when one considers the labor force and supply chain needed for construction and operation of power plants, transmission grids and environmental compliance technology on fossil-fueled power plants.

Most significant low-carbon electricity source

Broad independent studies looking at future energy and climate scenarios clearly point to nuclear energy as an important component of our energy portfolio. Nuclear energy is by far the most significant low-carbon electricity source in America today, with 104 reactors producing one-fifth of all electricity production and 70 percent of all carbon-free electricity. They’re also economic drivers in the communities in which they operate.  A typical nuclear power plant produces $430 million of economic impact to the surrounding communities each year, and the construction of a series of new advanced reactor designs will extend the industry’s economic impact.

The industry is seeking federal permits for the construction of 22 reactors—a small part of the potential $400 billion global market in nuclear energy equipment and services over the next 15 years. 

For the first three new reactor projects in the United States, more than $2 billion in equipment and services already has been procured from manufacturers in 17 states. Another $2.5 billion in export orders for equipment is creating jobs in 25 states as American companies begin to reinvest in the nuclear energy supply chain.

Though today’s economy is slowing the pace of expansion of the electricity sector, our long-term fundamentals have not changed.  We are putting into service nuclear energy assets that will deliver low-carbon electricity safely for 60 to 80 years.

Nuclear industry employs more than 57,000 people

The industry employs more than 57,000 people at the 104 nuclear power plants operating in 31 states, but the nuclear energy work force is multiplied significantly by jobs in areas such as uranium fuel development, the industry supply chain, and skilled craft jobs at new reactors such as the Vogtle project in Georgia and the V.C. Summer project in South Carolina.

These new facilities in Georgia and South Carolina are among the four to eight advanced reactors that the industry expects will be producing electricity by 2016-18. Construction activities already have begun at those facilities and project-labor agreements are in place for three projects.

In preparation for this growth, the nuclear industry over the past three years has created more than 15,000 careers and invested more than $4 billion in new facility development. Plans call for the investment of another $8 billion to facilitate the supply of materials needed for large-scale construction beginning in 2011-2012.

New manufacturing jobs in nuclear energy sector

In the manufacturing sector, there is tangible evidence of expansion in the nuclear energy sector:

-    Alstom recently opened a $300 million turbine manufacturing facility in Tennessee to supply turbines for use in North American power plants.

-    Shaw Modular Solutions built a 410,000-square-foot nuclear modernization facility in Louisiana to assemble structural, piping, equipment and other modules for new nuclear plants that will employ 700 to 1,400 assembly line and skilled technical workers at full capacity.

-    AREVA and Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding broke ground last summer on a $360 million manufacturing and engineering facility in Newport News, Va., that will manufacture heavy components such as reactor vessels, steam generators and pressurizers.

All told, these and other companies have already hired more than 9,000 employees.

Economic activity associated with nuclear power plants is considerable. In fact, new nuclear power projects create twice the number of jobs of a comparably sized coal power plant, five times more jobs than wind power projects, and nearly nine times the number of jobs of a natural gas-fueled power plant.  Nuclear power plants also act as an economic multiplier, as each plant employs an average of approximately 500 employees from the local community and generates an additional 500 jobs in the local area.

For example, the expansion of the Vogtle nuclear plant near Augusta, Ga., is a $14 billion investment that will create up to 3,500 jobs during construction and 800 permanent jobs. In addition, more than 1,000 Georgia companies provided $908 million in materials, goods and services to the nuclear energy industry in 2008, the last year for which figures were available.

Strong support from organized labor

Organized labor has been a strong supporter of new nuclear plants, recognizing the significant economic potential for its skilled work force and the environmental benefits of keeping existing reactors operating and building new nuclear plants.

Mark Ayers, president of the AFL-CIO Building & Construction Trades Department, has proposed establishing multi-craft training centers near or at nuclear plant sites as well as developing specialized training partnerships with industry vendors and suppliers to certify all workers and developing programs to train local workers for careers in the nuclear industry.

Edwin Hill, president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), recently called nuclear power “essential” to our electricity production portfolio, adding that there is no way to meet the nation’s energy needs without it. The IBEW has developed a code of excellence for its members and has developed training programs to prepare workers for a new generation of reactors.

Our country faces an extraordinary challenge to expand our electricity system over the next two decades. Some have argued that building new nuclear plants at the pace required is impossible.  However, our industry built more than 100 reactors in the 1970s and ‘80s; France built 38 reactors in a decade.

Advanced reactor designs are higher capital cost projects, but the actual cost of electricity from these facilities will be competitive in the marketplace. Today’s reactors have among the lowest electricity production costs in the sector. Based on estimates for new reactor development, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects that electricity production costs will be competitive, and in fact, cheaper than most alternatives in 2016.

Affordable electricity for 60 years or more

With low uranium fuel costs and capacity factors (a measure of reliability) that average 90 percent across our industry, nuclear plants compensate for the up-front construction costs by affordably producing electricity for 60 years or more.

Financing new nuclear plants is one of the industry’s biggest challenges, but it is being met with support from state and federal energy policy. Federal loan guarantees can help project sponsors access lower-cost financing for nuclear and other clean-energy power projects, which ultimately lowers the cost of a new nuclear power plant and delivers lower-cost electricity to the consumer.

Loan guarantees are a mechanism that extends the federal government’s credit rating to companies that allows them to finance projects that are in the national interest. The loan guarantee program is a disciplined process that operates under strict controls and sets a high bar for companies seeking credit support. The industry will pay fees associated with these loan guarantees, so there is no liability on taxpayers when the projects come on line.

State governments also offer incentives to encourage construction of nuclear power plants. For example, Georgia enacted a law that enables Georgia Power, now building new reactors at Vogtle, to recover construction costs as it builds the plants. By doing so, the company expects to save $1.5 billion on the final cost of the reactors—savings that will be reflected in consumer rates for electricity from the facility.

Meeting America’s greenhouse gas reduction targets

Analyses of climate change policy by independent organizations conclude that reducing carbon dioxide emissions will require a portfolio of technologies, that nuclear energy must be part of the portfolio, and that a major expansion of nuclear energy over the next 50 years is essential.

A 2009 National Academy of Sciences study showed that 77 nuclear power plants must be built by 2035 and operating with the high efficiency of current reactors to effectively meet America’s greenhouse gas reduction targets.

Wind and solar energy will play an important role in our low-carbon energy portfolio, but they account for less than 2 percent of total U.S. electricity supply today. The prospect for renewable energy development differs widely by region, and until there is storage capacity for the electricity produced at these facilities, they operate only 30 percent of the time. Therefore, fossil fuel sources, primarily natural gas, are required as a back-up source of power to the grid where renewables are used.

The coming decades will witness the most significant challenges the nation has ever faced in meeting the twin imperatives of meeting rising electricity demand and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. No single technology can accomplish these tasks alone and they certainly cannot be accomplished overnight. Low-carbon sources like nuclear energy, hydro, solar and wind all must contribute.

Supporting the development of new efficient and environmentally friendly technology such as nuclear energy will create hundreds of thousands of U.S. jobs while improving our environment for generations to come.

Marvin S. Fertel is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Nuclear Energy Institute. He has 35 years of experience consulting for electric utilities on issues related to designing, siting, licensing and managing both fossil and nuclear plants.

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I recently gave a presentation at the International Youth in Nuclear Conference (IYNC) in Cape Town, South Africa, on the key aspects of a successful young generation in nuclear organization.  Being that one of the new goals of Clean Energy Insight is to share information with the entire NA-YGN Organization, I’d like to share an abridged version of the presentation with you here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First off, the basics:

• What is a young generation in nuclear (YGN) organization?

A YGN chapter is an important tool for professional and personal growth for young members of the nuclear industry.  Here are some examples of YGN’s from around the world:

European Nuclear Society - http://www.euronuclear.org/welcome.htm

South African Young Nuclear Professionals -http://www.saynps.co.za/

North American Young Generation in Nuclear - http://na-ygn.org/index/index.html

I am a member of AREVA’s Charlotte, NC chapter of North American Young Generation in Nuclear (NA-YGN).  NA-YGN’s Mission Statement is as follows:

“The mission of the North American - Young Generation in Nuclear (NA-YGN) is to unite young professionals who believe in Nuclear Science and Technology and are working together throughout North America to share their passion for a field that is alive and kicking.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NA-YGN activities around North America include:

• Uniting different sectors of nuclear science and technology.
• Representing  the interests and ideas of young nuclear professionals within the industry at industry gatherings and international conferences.
• Facilitating industry growth through  enhanced recruiting and retention.
• Public communication and education.
• Networking and professional development.

So, how can you create a successful YGN in your office?

By first focusing on three key areas (in order of importance):

Individual

promote individual growth and development of your colleagues’ personal and professional skill sets

Community

work to improve the local community through established and coordinated volunteering activities

Industry

if you improve the abilities and skills of your individual colleagues, and actively participate in community volunteering activities, the nuclear industry and your company will benefit in the long run

In my NA-YGN Chapter,  we accomplish these goals through what we have come up with as the keys to a successful chapter:

Keys to a Successful Chapter

Responsibility Leads to Leadership

Give everyone in your chapter a chance to lead by fostering their personal interests and skills.  Here is an organization chart of our NA-YGN committee members from our chapter in Charlotte: (Click image to enlarge)

Notice that we have many different positions.  There is no set organizational chart that every NA-YGN Chapter must follow.  We create these positions when a need is identified, or when an individual approaches the committee with a new idea on how they can help increase our effectiveness and visibility.  For example, we recently created our “International Liason” position this year in order to get more involved with some of our colleagues overseas.

We also started a “Civic Involvement Project” this past year.  With these new activities, our NA-YGN Chapter will attempt to advance the nuclear industry by educating the general public and policy makers on the benefits of nuclear energy.

Also notice that we have several “Co” positions.  We do this for several reasons.  One is that the position requires a lot of work and involvement that may be taxing on an individual, so we get another individual to help out and share responsibilities.  Another is that some positions require a year of training and turnover before an individual is expected to be able to fully take on the responsibilites that the position requires.

Opportunities to Grow

Provide opportunities for your colleagues to grow professionally and personally through some of the following activities:

Volunteering

List of 2009 Volunteering and Fundraising Activities:
Mathcounts Foundation
Boy Scout’s Explorers’ Post
Engineer’s Week (E-Week)
Regional Science Fair
Bridge Jobs
ASCE Carolina’s Conference
Ada Jenkins 5K Race and BBQ Competition 2009
United Way Day of Action
Second Harvest Food Bank
24 Hours of Booty
Salvation Army’s Center of Hope
American Heart Association’s Heart Walk 2009
Susan G. Komen’s Race for the Cure 2009
University of North Carolina at Charlotte Engineering Picnic
Florence Crittenton
Habitat for Humanity
Mock Interviews at UNC-Charlotte
Society of Women Engineers Etiquette Dinner
St. Jude Give Thanks Walk
Engineering Freshman Learning Committee at UNC-Charlotte
Mud Volleyball with Habitat for Humanity

Networking

Nuclear industry networking events include YGN annual conferences, professional group conferences and workshops like the American Nuclear Society (www.ans.org), and International Youth in Nuclear Congress (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Youth_Nuclear_Congress).

You can also coordinate networking activities with other NA-YGN Chapters in your area through social activites.

Social Activities

Another good way to develop the social and networking skills of your nuclear professionals include participating in or coordinating social activites.  Activities like these can truly benefit an industry known for having a wealth of engineers and scientists.

Some social activities that we participate in in Charlotte include events at the National Whitewater Center (http://www.usnwc.org/), bowling at Strike City Charlotte (http://strikecitycharlotte.com/), and go-karting at Victory Lane (http://www.377fast.com/).

Activities like these give your chapter a chance to kick back and get to know one another.  They also serve as an effective recruitment and retention tool for employees.

Pro-Nuclear Energy Advocacy Activities

Participating in pro-nuclear advocacy campaigns is another way to sharpen the public speaking and communications skill sets of your members.  In Charlotte, we have come up with a few different activities that do just that.

Speaker’s Bureau

Our “Speaker’s Bureau” is a group of individuals who are preparing a basic presentation that will hopefully educate the general public on the benefits of the cheapest, cleanest, safest, and most reliable form of energy–nuclear energy.  The current plan is to target local schools and community organizations.

Letter Writing Campaign

Our self-explanatory “Letter Writing Campaign” is an attempt to show pro-nuclear energy support to policy makers at the local, state, and national levels, as well as local and national media publications.

Plant Tour Initiative

Our “Plant Tour Initiative” is planning to invite policy-makers from all over the state to visit nuclear energy facilities in their districts.  This will allow the politicians to become familiar with what the industry is doing in their state.  In North Carolina, the nuclear industry is an important part of the economy.  We hope to educate our politicians on our continued safe operations that generate millions of dollars in revenue for the state on a yearly basis.

Opportunities to Learn

Our NA-YGN Chapter offers opportunities for our individual members to learn through what we call “Brown Bag Presentations.”  These presentations are held over lunch, and are given by experts from our own office or even from other companies around Charlotte.  Some of these brown bags include presentations on:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Digital Control Upgrades
• St. Lucie Steam Generator Replacement Outage Presentation
• Introduction to Nuclear Power and Nuclear Physics
• Design Basis vs. Licensing Basis, Licensing Documents, 10 CFR
• Codes and Standards
• Fundamentals of Seismic Design
• Piping Analysis and Support Restraint Design
• Technical Writing
• Materials Selection
• Human Factors Engineering
• Defending Nuclear - A Presentation on Advocacy
• Fire Protection Design
• Electrical Grid Overview
• Anchorage Design
• Welding and Welding Design
• Valves and Pumps
• Financial Planning Workshop Presented by Fidelity Investments

Professional Exposure

Civic Involvement

Encourage your members to get involved in promoting the nuclear industry in a number of arenas.  The picture below is from a trip that NA-YGN took to Capitol Hill during our National Conference in Washington DC.  We got to stand in during some Senate Energy Committee votes on some nuclear energy provisions in the 2009 cap-and-trade energy bill.

Conferences

Encourage and provide your members the opportunities to attend professional conferences like the annual NA-YGN Conference, American Nuclear Society conferences and Women in Nuclear Conferences.  The picture below is from the NA-YGN Annual Conference in San Francisco.  The theme was “Go Green.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speakers

It’s also good to give your members opportunities to get involved by hearing some of the leading pro-nuclear industry voices in the industry speak about current events.  Below is Patrick Moore, co-founder of GreenPeace, who is now one of the most prominent voices in the nuclear industry.  Mr. Moore is Co-Chair of the CASE Energy Coalition, a pro-nuclear organization (http://casenergy.org/).  When Mr. Moore is in town, be sure to notify your NA-YGN members of the opportunity to hear him speak.  Give them the chance to let him know what the young generation in the industry is doing to help foster the nuclear renaissance.

What’s Next for Professional Exposure?

The latest participation by my NA-YGN Chapter in professional exposure has been in the form of pro-nuclear advocacy on this website, Clean Energy Insight.  Mike Bloom and myself created this website in the Summer of 2009 to be a tool to help other young nuclear industry members to get involved with advocating their industry and reach out to the public on nuclear energy issues.

Currently, we are using Clean Energy Insight as a tool for NA-YGN members to:

1. Educate and raise awareness of nuclear power for the general public by dispelling myths, and putting nuclear facts into new and eye-opening perspectives.
2. Serve as an online tool for NA-YGN, i.e. sharing information like advocacy program experiences with other chapters.
3. Showcase NA-YGN activities that include volunteering, advocacy, and networking activities.
4. Personalize and re-vamp the public’s perception of the nuclear industry.

With the recent addition of almost 6,000 NA-YGN members to the potential field of contributors and supporters, Clean Energy Insight hopes to become a staple mouthpiece for the young generation’s ideas, actions, and accomplishments.

Here is an example of how we are presenting nuclear energy facts in new ways.  This image is from our “What Does Renewable Energy Look Like?” blog that compared land usage of nuclear to solar photovoltaic and wind energies.  As you can see, nuclear has the advantage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Funding is Essential

Funding is essential for any functional NA-YGN Chapter.  Everything will cost you some amount of money, from sending people to International Youth in Nuclear conferences to buying soccer balls, cones, and water for a weekly after-work soccer game.  The way that NA-YGN secures funding is through company support.

At AREVA, we are fortunate to have extremely supportive executives that ensure that NA-YGN has the tools to develop our individual members’ skill sets and to promote the entire nuclear industry through activities like community volunteerism and pro-nuclear advocacy.

Without the help of our executive sponsors, our NA-YGN Chapter would not have the tools and encouragement that we need to have an effective and successful NA-YGN Chapter.

How to Guarantee Funding?

The best way to guarantee funding is to prove to your executive sponsors that you can effectively improve the skill sets of your colleagues involved in NA-YGN, improve your company’s visibility in the community, and consequently add value to your company and the nuclear industry as a whole.  By doing this, you will gain valuable executive sponsorship and support.

Our NA-YGN Chapter sets up a yearly meeting with our executive sponsors where we present our goals and expectations for the coming year.  This is done with a detailed plan on how we will execute these goals and what it will take to execute them.  After agreeing on an annual budget and a comprehensive Annual NA-YGN Chapter Plan, we do our best to keep our promises and raise the bar on our performance each year.

At the end of the year, we present our year-end results in a detailed End-of-Year Report to our executive sponsors.  Remember:

Success guarantees support.

Sample Chapter Goals

Here are a few examples of our Chapter Goals that have been presented in past NA-YGN annual plans:

• Reducing our yearly budget
• Increasing active membership (percentage of NA-YGN members actively involved in NA-YGN activities)
• Ensure more professional conference attendance
• Perform over 1,000 hours of community volunteer service
• Plan at least three (3) events with local NA-YGN Chapters
• Plan at least two (2) events with other AREVA NA-YGN Chapters

Setting precise goals that set the bar high, but are also reasonably achievable offer you the best way for your NA-YGN Chapter to be effective and successful.

Conclusion

A successful young nuclear professionals organization is one that is defined by involvement!

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The author would like to acknowledge Dr. Landon Kanner, as well as past Co-Chairs of the AREVA NA-YGN Charlotte Chapter Juan “Jonny” Abendaño and Matt Santore for their contributions to this presentation.